The top 10 unveilings at the Montreal auto show

The big show in Montreal will boast a few North American debuts

The auto industry is all about following trends – and, occasionally, setting them. Obviously, every manufacturer sets out to design, build and offer vehicles that people want, regardless of whether that want is driven by practicality or performance.

Picking out the trends is usually pretty easy, but this year’s Montreal International Auto Show, the 47th edition, which opens January 16 at the Palais des Congrès, brings a mixed bag of North American and Canadian premieres. If anything, this year’s collection of new cars and trucks proves that while embracing new technology to improve fuel economy continues to be a priority, harnessing horsepower into high-performance vehicles hasn’t gone out of style.

Hyundai Intrado

The new Hyundai Prototype Intrado is on display during the press day at the Geneva International Motor Show.Martial Trezzini /
AP Photo/Keystone

Hyundai stages a North American debut in Montreal with a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle that incorporates styling elements and manufacturing processes the company says will form the basis for a future compact crossover vehicle. Add this to the production fuel-cell Tucson that Hyundai launched late in 2015, and it seems clear the company sees a future in hydrogen-powered transportation. Technical details are few, but Hyundai says the Intrado boasts a driving range of nearly 600 kilometres on a fill of hydrogen, about 120 more than the Tucson.

Subaru VIZIV 2

The Subaru Viziv2 concept was unveiled at Geneva and could preview what Subaru has in store for its next compact SUV.Graeme Fletcher /
Driving

Also making its North American premiere is the Subaru VIZIV 2 concept, a diesel-electric hybrid that predicts the next-generation of the brand’s “symmetrical” all-wheel-drive system, trading drive shafts and centre differentials for electric motors.

The VIZIV combines a turbo-diesel “boxer” four-cylinder (but we’d be surprised if the diesel motor makes it to a North American production model) and three electric motors: one that works in tandem with the engine at the front wheels, and one at each rear wheel, an arrangement Subaru says allows for more precise power distribution.

2016 Mazda2

The 2016 Mazda2.Handout /
Mazda

Montreal’s third North American premiere highlights a vehicle you’ll actually be able to buy very soon: the 2016 Mazda2. Mazda’s been a small-car powerhouse for more than a decade, since winning hearts with the original Mazda3 compact in 2004. Look for the latest Mazda2 to pack similar characteristics into its subcompact footprint, but don’t expect it to be a value leader; instead, it brings good looks, promises good fuel economy, and will probably be the best-driving car in its class.

2015 Audi A3 e-tron

2015 Audi A3 Sportback e-tronGraeme Fletcher /
Driving

Audi launched its redesigned A3 and S3 sedans earlier this year, but making its Canadian premiere in Montreal is the A3 e-tron, the brand’s first plug-in hybrid model. In it, Audi has stuck together a 1.4-litre turbocharged gas engine and an electric motor, both bolted to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. Audi promises 50 km of electric-only driving range on a full charge and 204 hp/258 lb.-ft. of torque with both power sources working together, giving the e-tron almost as much power as a VW GTI, albeit with a bit more weight to tow around.

The Alfa Romeo Spider will join the 4C (pictured) as part of the brand’s relaunch in North America.Handout /
Alfa Romeo

We were skeptical of the chatter that Chrysler’s partnership with Fiat would lead to Alfa Romeo’s return to North America, but the rumours are now truth, and Alfa makes a heck of a Canadian debut with the 4C. It’s a hot-looking $62,000 mid-engined sports coupe smaller and lighter than the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S twins, so expect serious handling and impressive performance from the Alfa’s 237-hp turbocharged motor. The only transmission to be offered is a six-speed dual-clutch unit.

Will the FT-1 mark the return of the Toyota Supra? More importantly, will Toyota build it, complete with a supercapacitor-based hybrid system, as part of its collaboration with BMW?Handout /
Toyota

It’s just a concept so far, but the FT-1 is considered by many to be a spiritual successor to the Supra sports car that last graced Toyota showrooms a decade-and-a-half ago. There are no tech specs to speak of, save for the fact that it’s designed around a traditional front-engine/rear-drive sports car layout, but Toyota’s PR materials say this car “signals the arrival of exciting products that … are downright inspiring to drive.” Don’t quote us, but knowing Toyota, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a production car based on the FT-1 powered by a high-power hybrid powertrain like that in the BMW i8.

Cadillac Elmiraj concept

Cadillac ElmirajBrendan McAleer /
Driving

Cadillac already has an impressive line of luxury cars, but the gorgeous Elmiraj, unveiled at Pebble Beach in 2013 and making its Canadian debut here in Montreal, hints that this upscale GM brand isn’t done reaching for the top.

This car looks nearly ready for production, and if so, the big, fast coupe could compete with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe, an idea reinforced by the Elmiraj’s use of Cadillac’s 500-hp turbocharged V8, whose performance would split the difference between the S 550 and S 63 AMG models.

Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid

The all-new 2015 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid is the third production PHEV for the German automaker, joining the 918 Spyder and the Panamera S E-Hybrid.Andrew McCredie /
Driving

The Cayenne is one of Porsche’s main cash-flow generators, putting the Stuttgart brand’s badge in driveways like no model before it. Following in the footsteps of its Panamera line mate, the 2015 Cayenne adds a plug-in variant of its gas-electric hybrid model.

With a drivetrain – 3.0-litre V6 gas engine plus electric motor, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission – lifted from the Panamera E-Hybrid, the plug-in Cayenne is motivated by 416 hp and can run up to highway speeds quickly on electric power alone.

Mercedes-AMG C 63

Mercedes-Benz is premiering two versions of its all-new compact C-Class in Montreal, but the one we’re excited about is the high-performance C 63. This car is new from the ground up, bearing styling shared with the rest of the C-Class line, a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, and introduces a new naming convention for Mercedes’ AMG-tuned cars. It boasts a 4.1-second sprint from zero to 100 km/h, and the best fuel-efficiency of “any high-performance, V8-powered car in the world.”

2016 Fiat 500X

The Fiat 500X at the Los Angeles Auto Show.Graeme Fletcher /
Driving

The other Italian brand with a domestic connection, Fiat, also has a Canadian reveal in the 500X, a compact crossover based on the Jeep Renegade. It’s not quite as cute as the 500 hatch, but a far better interpretation of that car’s looks than the ungainly 500L.

From the Renegade, the 500X borrows its running gear: 1.4-litre turbocharged and 2.4-litre four-cylinder engines, and six-speed manual and nine-speed automatic transmissions. As in the Chrysler 200, an optional all-wheel drive system includes a disconnecting rear axle for better fuel economy when four-wheel traction isn’t necessary, but adds three driving modes suited to a variety of driving conditions.

Other highlights of the show include the usual assortment of exotic cars, including marques like Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati and Rolls-Royce. After being split up over two levels last year, these will be once again located all on level five, along with a homegrown exotic, the track-ready Québec-built Magnum MK5.

Other new and returning features include: an opportunity to test-drive a selection of new vehicles; a pair of contests to win a Tesla Model S and a Chevrolet Volt; Performance Zone, a collection of modified vehicles; the Kia Childcare Centre; and a blood donor clinic co-organized by CTV Montreal and Héma-Québec.

The 2015 Montreal International Auto Show opens Friday, January 16 and runs until Sunday, January 25, from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day except closing day, when the shutters come down at 7 p.m.

General admission is $16 (ages 13 and up), while CAA-Québec members and Desjardins bank customers pay $14; students and seniors (65 years and older) get in for $13, and tickets for kids aged six to 12 cost $6. A family pass for two adults and two kids aged six to 12 is $38, and children up to five years old get in for free. Tickets can be purchased at the Palais des Congrès box office, or at montrealautoshow.com.

To get to the show, take the Metro to the Place D’Armes station, or bus routes 55 or 129, and follow the signs. Pedestrian street-level access is at 201 avenue Viger Ouest, 1001 Place Jean-Paul Riopelle and 301 rue St-Antoine Ouest. Indoor parking is available on rue Chéneville (around the corner from the avenue Viger entrance) and rue Saint-Antoine, near place Jean-Paul-Riopelle.